A device and a process for controlling a respirator are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,160. The different modes of operation are performed or modified on the device according to rules set on the device before according to the user's specification.
The fact that the user must determine in advance what modes of operation shall be available to him at the time of the purchase is a drawback of the prior-art device. If the profile of requirements imposed on the device changes, i.e., additional modes of respiration are desired, and some modes of respiration are no longer necessary, the corresponding software modification with respect to the new profile of requirements must be performed on the device itself. This service can only be performed on site and is therefore associated with additional efforts and costs.